Everybody loves Bella
by Helvetica Black
Summary: Edward Cullen is obsessed with her, Jacob Black worships her, and  Paul Lahote lusts after her. Nobody can hate Bella Swan. It just isn't possible. Everyone, in one way or another, always ends up loving her.
1. Anger Management

**I. ANGER MANAGEMENT**

* * *

He didn't like her.

Before he even met Bella Swan, Paul Lahote had already hated her. There was just something about her, something that set his teeth on edge, though he wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was because she was moron for having risked her life by dating a vampire. Maybe it was the way she was so exalted in Jacob Black's mind, as if she was the one who had hung the moon on the sky. Or maybe it was the way Jacob Black had whined and moaned about her and about how he had missed her so much. After listening to the younger wolf complain for hours and days on end, Paul figured that it was wise to hate Bella Swan.

Paul hated Bella Swan even more when he met her. There was a cockiness in her that he didn't like, a mocking look in her eyes that just rubbed him wrong a thousand ways. Everyone went on and on about Bella Swan's pretty brown eyes, but he couldn't have cared less about the color of her eyes. He hated her that much. The only thing he noticed about her eyes was that the look in them gave him the insane urge to gouge them out. He wanted to sew her mouth shut. He wanted to strangle her.

Everything was suddenly about Bella Swan, and about how much Paul hated her.

Paul entered Emily's kitchen and frowned at the sight of Bella holding one of Emily's freshly baked muffins. What right did Bella have? She was just a vampire's blood bag.

"Jacob has information for us," Sam announced.

Everybody, save for Paul, Jacob and Bella, stilled and quieted, intrigued. Jared paused mid-bite into his muffin, and Embry stopped chewing.

Paul scowled, unsurprised. He already knew what the information was. He'd heard it from Jacob's mind when they had both phased. The Swan girl was the target of the red-haired vampire. The thought made him growl; it was all the more reason to rid themselves of Bella-fucking-Swan.

"I know what the redhead wants," Jacob said, his eyes trained on Jared and Embry. "That's what I was trying to tell you before." He swiftly kicked the leg of the chair Paul had settled into, and Paul seriously contemplated ripping his head off.

Jared ignored the hostile exchange. "And?"

Jacob frowned, as if he didn't want to admit the truth. "She's trying to avenge her mate, only it wasn't the black-haired leech we killed."

Everyone remained silent, curious.

Jacob sighed. "The Cullens got her mate last year, and she's after Bella now."

This wasn't exactly news to Paul, but hearing it made still him shiver in excitement. As much as he wanted to kill the vampire, it was much easier to just give her Bella Swan. Besides, it wasn't like the redhead vampire had crossed into the Quileute territory or anything. Also, Bella Swan wasn't a member of their tribe. She, much like the vampire who wanted her dead, wasn't their business at all.

Across the table, Bella Swan gave an involuntary shudder, and it made Paul smile. Embry, Jared and Emily, on the other hand, were too busy being shocked by Jacob's announcement.

"She's just a girl," Embry protested.

"I didn't say it made sense," Jacob reasoned. "But that's why the bloodsucker's been trying to get past us. She's been heading for Forks."

Everyone turned their eyes to Bella, who cringed under the attention.

"Excellent," Jared muttered, a grin on his face. "We've got bait."

Paul smiled. _Protect the tribe, _his wolf all but screamed at him._ Protect! Protect!_

Jacob angrily threw something at Jared's face, which Jared caught with ease. A can opener.

Paul glared at Jacob, aghast. Did Jacob really just choose the Swan girl, someone who was practically the enemy, over his brothers?

_Fucking pussy-whipped Black,_ Paul thought.

"Bella is not bait," growled Jacob.

"You know what I mean," Jared said dismissively.

"So we'll be changing our positions," Sam announced, ignoring the spat. "We'll try leaving a few holes, see if she falls for it. We'll have to split up, and I don't like that, but if she's really after Bella, she probably won't care to take advantage of our divided numbers."

"Quil's got to be close to joining us," Embry noted. "Then we'll be able to split evenly."

"Well," Sam said with a low voice, "We won't count on that. Paul, Jared and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob and I will take the inner. We'll collapse in when we've got her trapped."

* * *

She didn't like him.

There was just... something about Paul Lahote that made Bella Swan uneasy, restless and peeved. There was something about him that just didn't sit right with her. It was probably the aggressive sneer he wore that seemed to be a permanent facial expression, or the way he threw insults at her as if it actually hurt him to be civil. She tried to like him, or at least to not hate him, but doing so proved to be impossible. Paul was just _begging_ to be hated.

She sighed as she sank on her bed and burrowed beneath the covers. She didn't even know why she was thinking about how much of a jerk Paul Lahote was, when there were obviously bigger problems at hand. There was the fact that she was going insane and she didn't give a damn if she was. And there's the thing about Victoria. The vampire wanted her dead, and Bella didn't know if she should be afraid for Charlie or afraid because she didn't really care if Victoria did manage to kill her. Because if Victoria would care to kill her slowly, Bella might even see _his_ face again. It was becoming increasingly difficult to see _him_ nowadays. Thrills weren't quite thrilling enough the second time around. She always had to do more every time, had to take riskier risks just to hear _his_ voice. She knew she shouldn't even want to take those risks in the first place, but she did. Did that make her suicidal?

Bella quickly shifted her thoughts, knowing exactly where they were headed. In the end, everything was still going to be about him, Bella thought bitterly. He and his family were long gone, and true to their word, they hadn't returned even when her life was in danger. They really didn't care. A part of her didn't like how pathetic her stupid hopes made her, but a bigger part of her, the part that was shameless and dumb, wanted those hopes to come true. They had loved her so much, surely at least some of that love wasn't fake, right?

Her gaze went to the ceiling, and she just stared and stared, having nothing else to do. Bella hated nighttime. It was too quiet, too lonely, and had far too many hours in it. Her thoughts would plague her for hours and hours, and she can only remain awake for so long. Eventually, she'd fall asleep and dream that dream again, only to wake up screaming from the terror of both the nightmare and the reality she'd woken up to. It was a continuous and tiring cycle, and Bella wasn't quite sure if she wanted to get back into it. Perhaps staying awake would be better.

"God, it fucking reeks in here."

Bella jumped out of her bed and saw Paul Lahote in her room, next to her open window. He wore a plain shirt and brown cut-off shorts — the standard wolf uniform, she supposed. He sneered at her, and the look on his face told her that he thought everything about her was pathetic.

She groaned in annoyance, and wished she'd nailed her bedroom window shut when she'd had the chance.

"Paul," Bella fought the urge to pull her own hair. "This is my bedroom. What are you doing here?"

"Looking after you, leech lover," Paul growled. "It's my babysitting shift. What the fuck do you think? I don't hang around places that reek of leech just for kicks."

She glared at him. "Jake—"

"He's doing rounds with Sam," he muttered in annoyance. "Sam found a fresh trail. Figures he'd want Baby Alpha with him."

"Right," Bella nodded, worry momentarily filling her chest. "And you're in my room because..."

He bristled. "Because that's the fucking point of watching over people, you moron. You actually have to look at them." He rubbed his temples in irritation. "Jesus. Why do you even _exist_? Fucking bane of my existence."

"Jesus probably won't appreciate being called that," she deadpanned. "And you don't have to actually be in my room to watch over me, you know."

"You don't get to tell me what I have to do," he snarled. "You're just a fucking liability. Sandwiches don't get to order picnic baskets around."

"An appropriate analogy," she noted. "But really, you should—"

"Shut up, Swan," Paul growled. "God, just shut up for once. You're making my head hurt. I'll stay in your room, and you will sleep. Or not sleep, I don't care. Just... shut up."

She frowned when she saw him massage his temples. "Do you have a headache? A migraine? I have some Tylenol—"

"No," Paul said tersely. "I don't need your fucking drugs. What I need is some peace and quiet, which, strangely, I can't seem to get with you around."

She stilled. "That was uncalled for."

"You were uncalled for," he leaned on the wall, suddenly exhausted.

"I don't know why you hate me so much, Paul," Bella hissed through clenched teeth. "I just met you. You don't even know me enough to hate me."

"Oh, I know enough," Paul snorted.

"What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing really," Paul shrugged. "You just placed my tribe at risk by existing! You do know that we're putting our fucking necks in the line for you, don't you? Were you named after the patron saint of idiots and vampire food or something?"

"It's not my fault that Victoria's mate died," she said uncertainly. "It's not my fault they killed her mate, and it's not my fault that they're not here to take care of the mess."

She didn't know what made her say the words, when she'd been thinking all along that it was her fault that they left. She was just suddenly so angry, at Paul and at everything and everyone else. It was like rage was suddenly everything she had in her.

"Oh yeah?" Paul jeered. "Maybe it wasn't your fault then. Maybe it was theirs. Maybe they figured you weren't worth the effort of staying, Swan."

She gasped, a sharp pain abruptly flaring in her chest. Paul's right, she thought bitterly. She'd known all along that she wasn't worth their time, but the truth hurt so much more when Paul rubbed in in her face.

"What dumbass would even think of dating a leech?" Paul continued. "Fucking disgusting. And now you've got a leech after you. Isn't that what you want? To be chased by a leech? I swear it's like you're begging me to hate your guts, Swan."

"You're a jerk," she said scathingly. "And I hate you."

He scoffed, unfazed by her words. "You and I both, Chickie. But seriously, just turn off your motormouth and—"

"Motormouth?" she asked sharply. Something about the way Paul said word just set her off. "Did you just call me a _motormouth_?"

Paul stared at her with dark mirth.

"How dare you call me that!" she screamed at him. "I raised my own mother, and didn't say a single peep when she suddenly decided to marry again. I silently stepped out of her life to make her happy with her new husband. I moved to Forks for her, and eventually for Charlie too, because apparently, he can't take care of himself either! I cook for Charlie, clean the house for him, do his laundry, and I never ever complain! I've been left behind by the love of my life, and the family I'd thought I belonged to, and I never complained to anyone about how much it hurts me! And even now that my life's in danger, they still didn't come back for me. Do you know how much it kills me, knowing that they don't care, that they probably never even cared in the first place?

"I'm _quiet_, Paul, so quiet about the things that really matter. Don't you dare call me a motormouth, because you have no idea what I'm going through."

Bella was suddenly right at Paul's face, a few inches from touching him, so close that she felt the heat that radiated from his body and smelled the earthy scent that rolled off of his skin. She didn't even remember walking towards him. Embarrassed, she quickly backed away, not noticing the bed right being her. With a loud shriek, she fell backwards on the mattress.

Paul just stared at her. "Well, that wasn't very quiet of you," he noted.

For some reason, Bella laughed. She laughed like she had never laughed before. The squeezing feeling in her chest seemed to have subsided somewhat. She didn't understand why, but blowing up on Paul made her feel better.

"Sorry," she muttered, pushing herself up to sit and face him. "I don't know what came over me. That never happened before, I swear."

"It's a fucking good thing Chief Swan's not home yet," Paul said with a small smirk. "He wouldn't have enjoyed half of what you just said. No, fuck that. He wouldn't have enjoyed everything you just said."

She blushed. "Yeah. Um, right. Wow. I'm normally not so..." she trailed off.

Paul chuckled. "Bitchy?"

"Yeah," she said with a small smile of her own. "Bitchy." The strange way the new word rolled off her tongue made her grin. "I'm not usually like this."

He raised a dark eyebrow. "Only around me, then?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, then nodded. "I think you bring out the worst in me, Paul."

"Well, that's not the tiniest bit offensive," he said sarcastically.

"Sorry!" she quickly blurted. "I didn't mean to... I mean... It's just that I hate you _so much_, you know?"

It was Paul's turn to laugh.

"I hate you too, Chickie," he said breathlessly. "I fucking hate you so much, I actually imagined strangling you."

She smiled, oddly comforted by his disturbing words. "Well, I imagined strangling you too, so I guess that makes us..."

"Even?" asked Paul.

"Not quite," Bella surmised. "I also imagined gouging your eyes out when you glared at me at Emily's."

He barked out a laugh. "We're even then."

"You're kind of an asshole," she surmised.

"You're kind of a bitch," he replied coolly.

She grinned despite herself. "I still hate you, you know."

"Ditto."

"This is so weird."

"Fucking crazy," he agreed.

She stood up and hesitantly offered her hand. "Truce?"

He cringed. "Uh, sure, if we don't have to spit on it."

She smiled at him, and for the first time in months, she felt the smile from within herself. "No spit sandwich then," she said. "So, truce?"

He took her hand in his, and a strange feeling of electricity went through her arm as their hands touched.

Paul's expression was shocked and confused. So, it seemed Bella wasn't the only one who felt the spark of electricity. Bella looked into Paul's dark eyes the same time Paul looked into hers, and something, she didn't know what, but _something_, happened. Something snapped into place. It was like she suddenly felt that from then on, Paul was going to be a part of her life. She didn't know if he was going to be a close friend or what, but she knew he was going to be an important part of her future. The certainty she felt was so eerie that it scared her.

"Whatever you say, Chickie," Paul said, his voice low, ardent and strangely breathless. "Truce."

* * *

**A/N: I owe my boyfriend for being my editor for this fic. Or should I call him my beta? That just sounds weird for some reason. Does being my beta make me his alpha? **

**Anyway.**

**He's overseas for his job, and he's busy, yet he always seems to have time to enjoy all my weird hobbies with me, which obviously includes writing fanfics. He's also sort of my unofficial editor for the book I'm writing, which will be released Halloween next year. So, here's to awesome men and books and Twilight.**

**Cheers.**


	2. Head Games (Paul)

**II. HEAD GAMES (Paul)**

* * *

Bella Swan.

Bella fucking Swan.

Of all the girls in the world, the spirits thought she was the one for me. The girl meant for me was a depressed, pathetic leech lover. The spirits were obivously retards. Not only did Bella Swan cheer for the other team, she was also the wrong race, not to be racist or anything. I groaned in frustration. The whole imprint was so screwed up, just the thought of it made me feel like crying.

Why the hell had I imprinted on _Bella Swan_?

"Paul?" the blond chick below me asked in concern. "Are you okay?"

No, I wasn't fucking _okay_. I was sexually frustrated, and for some reason, I can't seem to get it up anymore. The girl who was sucking my dick — I can't remember her name — had been at it for fucking ten minutes now, and Paul Jr. still showed no signs of life. It's confirmed then, I thought bitterly. I was becoming impotent.

Fucking Bella Swan.

All of a sudden, I imagined exactly that; fucking Bella Swan, and fucking her senseless. I imagined her long, milky pale thighs wrapped around my hips as I pounded her...

A loud moan quickly disrupted my thoughts.

The chick. She was still there, apparently happy that my cock was finally up and answering to her relentless sucking. My hard-on was actually for Swan, not that I'd even think of telling the chick that. There was no point in spurning a girl who was giving me a blowjob, even if she wasn't very good at it. And she wasn't. She sucked way too much, her mouth was too dry, and she didn't use enough tongue in her technique. Fucking amateur.

Just like that, I was limp again.

Blond chick grunted in annoyance, and finally stood up and glared at me. "What the hell is your problem? You got E.D. or something?"

I snorted. Erectile dysfunction? I wished it were that fucking simple.

"Okay, look..." I trailed off, rummaging my brain for information. What was her name again? Shelly? Amber? God, all blond chicks just kind of run together for me. But not brunettes. Brunettes, I remember. Especially Bella Swan.

"My name's Lauren, in case you forgot," Goldilocks snapped. Bitch.

"Right," I said flatly. "Lauren. I'd hate to make a commentary on your technique, but you've got to actually wet my dick to make me feel good, you know," I pulled up my boxers and zipped my shorts in record time.

"What—"

"My word of advice is," I interrupted, "The swallowing comes in at the part that I come. Not before. Otherwise you're just sucking me like a straw."

She threw me one last glare before picking up her bag from the couch. Oh, great. Bitch was walking out on me. I gave her advice on how to give good head, and I wasn't even going to experience it. I fucking hate blondes. Bitches always think they're all that.

"Fine," I called out to her as I sat on the couch and turned the TV on. "Next guy you blow says he likes it, tell him to thank Paul Lahote, Laurie!"

"It's Lauren, you dick!"

"Bye!" I said, the same time she slammed the door. I heard her car leave and I sagged on the couch, trapped between feeling sick because I'd let a girl who wasn't Bella touch my manly man parts, and feeling so fucking aroused. The image I'd conjured of Bella moaning in pleasure under me was as clear as if it were a memory. I simultaneously wanted to vomit and jerk off.

"Go away," I mumbled, sensing Jared by the door. Sure enough, fucker was there, leaning by the doorway and looking smug as fuck.

"What the hell, man?" he asked. Seeing the look on my face, which I hoped was blank, he just laughed. "You're turning down free blow jobs now? I better look out for flying pigs..."

I sighed. "Fuck you too, Jared. What do you want?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "It's nothing urgent. Bad day today?"

"Terrible," I said flatly. "I feel tingly all over. And nauseous. I feel like my guts want to fucking crawl out of me. My brain feels like it's been acupunctured. I think I'm sick, man. Or pregnant."

He cracked into a loud, long laugh. Motherfucker was actually laughing at the shit I was going through. Fucking sadist.

"Okay..." he said, probably more to himself because I was not fucking okay. I didn't even want to hear the word okay. I was the opposite of okay. Jared just grinned at me like the Cheshire cat. "Who is she?"

I glared at him. "Lauren, I think. Or Laurie. Damn blond bitches, they all look like clones. Fucking identical. Couldn't even give proper head. Dumb as fuck."

He slowly nodded, seemingly processing what I'd just said. "Wait, was Lauren the one who just left?" he asked.

I just stared at him. Who the fuck else?

"I didn't mean _her_," he said. He smiled at me, looking so damn smug that it took everything in me to stay on the couch. I wanted so badly to rip the smile off his face.

"Then who did you mean?"

"Whose absence made you all tingly and nauseous?" he chided. "Who's the girl? Who's the unlucky imprint?"

Unlucky? "I didn't think I'd be saying this twice in one sitting, but fuck you again, Jared. And whoever I imprinted on is none of your fucking business."

"Oh man, this is epic!" he said, laughing so hard that he clutched his sides. "The man-whore of the pack has finally imprinted! You've got to tell me now!"

I shook my head. No way I was going to embarrass myself that way. Jared and I were close, but not that close. "Stop being such a girl. I'm not telling you shit. State your business and leave. I need to shower."

"Would that be a cold shower?" he teased.

I glared at him.

"Fine," he conceded. "Sam needs to talk to you."

"That's it?" I asked, incredulous. "We're not monkeys. He could have just called my cell."

"Sam lost his phone last week," he muttered. "Didn't want to tell Emily about it, for some reason. But that's not important. What's important is that the Cullens are back. Well, most of them are. They wanted to see you.

"Me, specifically?" What business would the leeches have with _me_? I never even spoke to them.

"As specific as _we need to speak with Paul Lahote_ could get, I guess," he shrugged.

"I thought you said it wasn't urgent?"

He grinned. "Nothing is as urgent as sex, I think. Leech business can wait." He studied me with curiosity. "Do you know what they want with you?"

It was probably Bella Swan business. Damned leeches had a weird way of knowing shit.

"Nope," I said. "No idea."

Jared narrowed his eyes at me, but then eventually nodded. "They'll be at their... lair."

"Right. Thanks. Who's babysitting the ugly duckling tonight?"

He gave me a stare hat very clearly said _what the fuck?_ "You mean Bella Swan? I am."

"That's good," I whispered before I could stop myself.

Shit.

Jared blinked, then smiled. "_That's good_?" he asked. "Why would it be good if _I_ watch over her, and not Jake or Embry? Is it because I've already imprinted and they haven't?"

I didn't say anything. Fucker already knew the answer, so there was no damn point.

"You better not tell anyone about this," I growled at him. "My life's bad enough without everyone giving me shit about it. Especially Jacob. God, of all the girls I could have imprinted on..." I sighed. "What a clusterfuck."

Jared looked awfully considerate. "So it's really her?"

"You're dumb."

He snorted then shook his head. "I just can't... I mean, wow. I've just always thought of Bella Swan as, I don't know, Jake's property or something."

"She's not his property!" I yelled at him, suddenly overcome with the strongest anger I've felt in years. "She's mine!"

Jared blinked, shocked by my reaction. I didn't blame him. My reaction shocked _me_.

Where did _that_ come from? But his words just made me so damn pissed. Bella Swan, Jacob fucking Black's _property_? Just the thought of it made me want to explode and kill something.

"Sorry, man," Jared said softly. "I forgot how possessive it could make you feel—"

I put a hand up to shush him. "It's cool," I said, even though it really wasn't. I had the insane urge to rip his head off for even thinking that Bella Swan belonged to another. But that wasn't really what I wanted. I knew I really didn't really want to hurt Jared. Motherfucker was my brother, no matter how much of a dick he can be. The damned imprint was just messing with my brain and making me go all caveman and shit. "It's all cool, man. That was just the imprint talking. Just the fucking imprint."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks again to Patrick, for teaching me how to speak (or type) like a sailor. Or a blushing sailor, at least. I actually felt the need to wash my hands after typing this chapter. Paul's brain is a dirty, dirty place.**

**Cheers.**


	3. 180 (Jacob)

**III. 180 (Jacob)**

* * *

_Pride and Prejudice_ was not something I'd be caught dead watching. Though I wasn't really phobic when it came to romantic movies, even the understanding, considerate Jacob Black can only stomach so much mushiness. But Bella had begged me, saying that she wanted to watch it with me while eating pizza. I was a royal pushover when it came to her, and she knew it. So that's how I ended up watching it in my own house, with her next to me on the couch and huddled under my arm as we waited for the pizza delivery guy to deliver the freaking pizza.

Bella was ten different kinds of weird today.

She actually mentioned _his_ name, Edweird's name, and didn't double over or hug herself or anything. She now laughed loudly, louder than before, and smiled brighter. It was everything I'd been hoping to see in her, but it was also weird as hell. I mean, it was weird because it wasn't a gradual change. It was sudden. Like, overnight. People weren't supposed to do complete 180s overnight, and yet here she was, having done apparently just that.

What on earth?

The pizza arrived, finally. I grabbed the pizza box from Bella's grabby hands and set it on the table. Almost immediately, she was on the thing, ripping it open and wolfing down each slice with a speed that could have rivaled that of any wolf. Hungry Bella, though a delight to see, was actually just as scary as Anorexic Bella. I didn't know what to do around her.

"_What_?" she asked unapologetically through a mouthful of pizza. "I'm hungry, and the pepperoni's good."

I laughed a little at the sight of her actually enjoying food. Bella needed food. Food was good. Food was better than bikes.

She nearly choked on her pizza and I gave her a glass of water, sighing in relief as she downed the glass. The girl was a walking accident. Even pizza became a deadly thing to her.

"Still hungry?" I asked, my eyes on the movie scene that played before us. In the scene, Mr. Darcy, I think his name was, dove into the water to cool his head because he was infatuated with this Elizabeth person. Moron. People can't just wash love off of themselves.

"That's not in the book," Bella commented. "Mr. Darcy never jumped into a river in the book." Then she grabbed another slice of pizza and took a huge bite, answering my question.

"Right," I chuckled. "You'd know. Bookworm."

"Gearhead." She smiled, and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. Even skinny as she was, even with her face gaunt and haggard, she was still so beautiful.

"Hey, none of that," I smacked her very lightly on her shoulder, careful not to hurt her. She rubbed her shoulder and frowned in mock hurt, but her eyes were still smiling. I found myself smiling back. "I happen to be the gearhead who fixed your junk bikes. For free." I wiggled my eyebrows at her for emphasis.

She winced, as if the mere mention of bikes was a slap. "Don't remind me. I never should have done that. It was a dumb idea."

"Dumb," I agreed, "And completely reckless."

She pursed her lips, and I tried to squash the image of them against mine. It was a good thing she was all business. "Speaking of reckless, you guys need to be careful with Victoria. She's... tricky. Any news?"

I nodded. "She's been circling us, but we can't seem to catch her. We always come close, but she somehow manages to slip away every time. Sam's pissed we couldn't get to her."

Bella looked grim, or as grim as she could be while chewing a mouthful of pizza. "She's wily," she noted.

That, she was. The redhead vampire, Victoria, seemed to have evasive maneuvers as her superpower or something. "She won't get to you." I reassured Bella, and she shrugged, as if she didn't care if the leech caught her.

"I'm more worried about you guys," she said softly, so softly that I almost didn't catch the words. "What if she stops trying to get around you and starts trying to get through you?"

"Then we kill her. Plain and simple."

She actually looked even more worried. "No, it's not plain and simple. Victoria's... special. She has a talent for evading danger."

"Not like you then, Bells," I joked. "You have a talent for _attracting_ danger."

I could tell she was dead serious, but I didn't want her worried about me and the others. In fact, I didn't want her to worry at all. I wanted to kiss her worries away, but I wasn't quite ready to take that step yet. As happy and cheerful as she seemed to be, I knew she was still hurting. Hurting from the leech who left her to die in the woods. Hurting from _Edward_.

"Jake?" she asked, her small voice tinged with concern. I heard a growling noise, only to realize that it was me. I was growling. At her.

"Don't worry your little head about us wolves," I told her with a small smile. "We're good at what we do. It's what we turn into wolves for." I planted a small kiss on her forehead — I had to satisfy myself with that for now — and pulled her closer to my body. She silently leaned into me and breathed my scent. The movement was so natural, it didn't seem like she noticed what she did at all.

"Something weird happened last night."

I turned to look at her, but her face betrayed nothing. Her attention was on the TV screen. I reached for the remote, paused the movie and made her look at me.

"That's rude," she whined. "Mr. Darcy's about to propose to Lizzie."

I didn't back down. She was clearly bothered by whatever happened last night and didn't want to talk about it, but now that she brought it up, I wasn't going to let it go. "What happened last night?"

Did the redhead leech get to her? Did something bad happen? Last night was on Paul's watch. If something bad happened to Bella, he was going to answer to me.

To my surprise, Bella blushed. "Nothing, really. Forget I said anything."

Okay, now I had to know. Something was definitely up.

"What happened last night?" I pressed her. "Tell me."

She blushed an even deeper shade of red. "It's nothing important."

"Bella."

"I blew up at Paul."

I blinked, stunned. "You blew up at Paul," I repeated. "You blew up. At _Paul_."

She nodded.

"How exactly did that happen?" I asked. "Did he hurt you?"

She quickly shook her head and looked at her feet. "I was just so mad. He was in my room and—"

"He was in your _room_?" I all but growled. "Why on earth was Paul in your room?"

"T-That's not important." She bit her lip and struggled to look at me. "I yelled at him, Jake. I yelled at Paul. I was so angry and I just snapped. Now we have a truce."

"Wait, wait. Hold on," I blurted. Bella wasn't making any sense. "How did you go from yelling at Paul Lahote and forming a truce with him?"

She looked confused for a second. "I don't know," she said. "But now I feel so much better, Jake. Like my chest doesn't have a hole in it. I'm not as good as new, but I feel better."

I nodded absently. Paul Lahote? _He_ was what caused the overnight 180? What the hell did he do to Bella? What happened between them last night?


End file.
